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Flow
|image=Flow_State_Meditation.jpeg |kanji=流れ |unnamed jutsu=No |romaji=Nagare |literal english=Flow |english tv=Flow State |jutsu class type=Supplementary |users=Shishi Honpou |debut shippuden=No |jutsu media=Anime, Manga }} Flow, or Flow State (流れ状, Nagarejō), is a psychological state of mind that enables the user to focus on a singular task with absolutely no interruptions. In this state, action and awareness become one. Reflective self-consciousness becomes nonexistent as the mind focuses on the task at hand. The user gains a sense of personal control or agency over the situation or activity. The feeling of a distortion of time and space is common, and the user often feels like everything around them is slowed down to a near halt, allowing them to take stock of everything around them that pertains to the task at hand. In combat, the user gains such a focused state of mind that everything around them becomes irrelevant, and special care is taken to take those situations out of the equation. Attacks become immediately predictable, even attacks that are meant to be as illusive as possible. The body moves like it's on autopilot, evading and blocking attacks with the mind hyper focused on the enemy. Their moves are spread open like a roadmap for the user to exploit, and the autopilot reacts by moving the body independently without the need to think of the next move. The body fills in the gaps that the mind misses, allowing the two to function as one. Such a powerful psychological state requires a mind free of distractions, a mind that's focused only on the task at hand, allowing everything else to become a non-factor in the task of combat. History Achieving a state of mind that rests entirely on a singular task has been a difficult undertaking for everyone. Even some of the greatest minds find themselves unable to focus on one thing. There have been only a handful of those who mastered the art of one's own mind, and it took them a long time to do so. Shishi learned to focus on singular tasks the hard way; Being a spy means you have to focus on a single objective, but not let it cloud your judgement. Shishi took this habit and turned it into something else. She created a mindset, one that allowed her body to instinctively react to. On stealth missions, Shishi was moving quietly like her body was on autopilot, and felt herself being jerked back if she stepped out of a proper hiding zone. She realized her mind and body were fighting one another, with the mind wanting to stay put while the body wanted to move, so she created an alternative; Stick to the shadows and constantly move with them. Eventually, her body and mind became attuned to one another, and she could move freely in and out of the shadows, still on autopilot while she focused on the tasks ahead. She achieved the state known as Flow, and it became a vital asset in completing some of her most dangerous missions. In combat, its usefulness blossomed by dilating time and space around her to the point where she could see every flaw in her opponent's attack and instinctively counter it. A lazy jab gives way to an exposed shoulder being struck against. A kick too high led to an exposed knee getting kicked. The sate of Flow allowed her to exploit these weaknesses automatically, her mind filling in most of the information, with the body filling in the gaps. She didn't have to think on anything, it was already there, and her mind and body did the rest with virtually no hesitation from either. Even today, her mastery over Flow has shown even in normal life. She has adjusted to using it when focusing on tasks like writing, or building something. Her mind fills in most of the information, and then the body uses it like a blueprint, and adds its own variations to perfect the design. Mind and body working together, action and awareness synced in perfect harmony. Effects When under the state of Flow, surroundings become layered. Everything that is irrelevant to the situation the mind is focused on is cleared away, leaving behind only the important assets. This is the mind's way of filtering out information that is not necessary, but not taking away too much where the mind has to refilter everything. In this state, the brain begins altering the body's physical capabilities, mimicking the effect of an adrenaline boost. Nonessential bodily functions are temporarily shut down, leaving behind only the vitals, such as brain activity, heart rate, lung function, and full muscle control. This is where the nervous system takes over. The nervous system begins forcing muscles to move independently of one another based on information given from the brain, and it acts accordingly depending on the situation. Muscle activity will become almost instantaneous, freeing the delay caused by tensing muscles to move. To protect the user, the brain dilates their perceptions of time and space, protecting them by providing an ultraperceptive, tactical awareness of the situation at hand. The mind and body become in sync, and freedom of movement allows for the perfect assessment to any situation, be it combat or even noncombat measures. However, this is a difficult state to attain. The mind must remain attuned to the situation at all times to prevent information overflow from interrupting the focus. If anything is done to interrupt this focus, the brain starts going into survival mode, and organ function kicks into overdrive. This is not a pleasant experience. The body will feel like it's undergoing surgery without anesthesia as organ function begins going into a hyperfunction state, trying to restore normal operation to keep the body from going into shock. This puts the body out of commission, and extra care is to be taken to keep the user safe until bodily functions return to a normal state.